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**
As the thunder and wind across the sky gradually dissipated, the previously boiling heavenly energy also slowly calmed down.
Buzz… buzz…
The Black Sun shrank in size and swiftly descended from the sky, landing before Wei Yang. It trembled with excitement, its entire demeanor radiating satisfaction.
Full, full, full.
A delighted thought rippled out.
At this moment, Ah Da and Du Jiao also returned to the secluded valley.
Du Jiao slightly bowed, then immediately walked to the side, sitting cross-legged as he began refining the lightning power within his body.
Having undergone tempering from the Three-Colored Pill Lightning this time, he had clearly benefited greatly from it.
After all, the Three-Colored Pill Lightning was not something commonly seen.
"Congratulations, Master, on becoming a Tier 8 Alchemist!" Ah Da stepped forward, smiling joyfully as he offered his congratulations.
"Congratulations, Brother Yang, on becoming a Tier 8 Alchemist!"
"Congratulations, Young Master!"
Xian'er and Qing Lin both chimed in, smiling as they offered their blessings.
"Haha~" Wei Yang laughed heartily.
Tier 8!
From this moment onward, he had officially stepped into the ranks of the continent's topmost alchemists — one of the rare few qualified to be called a grandmaster among grandmasters.
Lowering his head, he once again examined the shimmering pill in his hand, a faint smile curving his lips. He then handed it to Qing Lin, saying with a gentle smile, "This is the very first Tier 8 pill I've successfully refined in my life. It holds great significance, so keep it for yourself."
"Yay! Thank you, Young Master!" Qing Lin cheered happily upon hearing this. She immediately took the pill and, grinning mischievously, said to it, "Little one, did you hear that? You won't be eaten after all. Quickly thank Young Master!"
A soft purple-green glow shone faintly on the pill's surface. Within, it almost seemed as though two tiny, round eyeballs were rolling around, secretly observing their surroundings.
"Hehe, you little scaredy-cat." Qing Lin held the pill carefully in her palms, giggling softly.
Xian'er also gazed at it with gentle, affectionate eyes.
Seeing this, Wei Yang smiled faintly.
As long as these two were happy, that was enough for him. To him, as long as he could succeed once, there would be a second time… and a third.
That Three-Colored Tier 8 Pill that was unimaginably precious to ordinary people — in his eyes, wasn't that big of a deal.
As long as he had sufficient medicinal ingredients, he could mass-produce them at will.
Moreover, with both the Flame of Life and the Flame of Death under his control, as long as he had seeds, cultivating medicinal ingredients of sufficient age would only cost him a bit of energy.
At this moment—
Buzz… buzz… buzz…
Digest, digest, digest!
The Black Sun trembled, circling Wei Yang endlessly, urging him impatiently. Wei Yang came back to his senses and couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out, grabbed the Black Sun, and stuffed it directly into his mouth.
"I'm going to help the Death Life Flame digest the lightning energy first. You all clean up this place."
Leaving those words behind, his figure flashed and soared toward the direction of the cave residence.
Three days later.
Inside a sealed chamber.
The lighting was somewhat dim.
Several moonstones embedded in the stone walls emitted a faint, gentle glow.
On the stone bed, Wei Yang sat quietly, cross-legged. Suddenly, his body trembled slightly, his internal aura surging violently before quickly retracting.
Moments later.
He opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing across them, then slowly exhaled a mouthful of impure air.
"Five-Star Dou Zong now."
By helping the Death Life Flame digest the lightning energy, he had also reaped some benefits, managing to break through by a whole star level. Of course, the bulk of the energy had still been devoured by the Death Life Flame.
However, to his slight disappointment, the Death Life Flame still failed to advance into the Dou Zun level this time.
It felt as though it was just a little short. Perhaps, with another Pill Lightning of this scale and quality, it would finally make the breakthrough.
Clenching his fists slightly, feeling the Dou Qi within his body that had grown several times stronger than before, Wei Yang revealed a faint smile.
Five stars. One step closer to the peak of Dou Zong.
Harnessing the power of lightning allowed him, to some extent, to make up for his natural talent limitations, accelerating his cultivation speed.
As long as he continued working hard and refined a few more Tier 8 pills, reaching the peak of Dou Zong wouldn't be difficult.
As for Dou Zun…
He would think about that later.
Next, it was time to set off for the Pill Tower.
Wei Yang narrowed his eyes slightly.
The next day.
Wei Yang and his group finally left the secluded valley where they had stayed for nearly half a year, officially setting out on their journey toward the Pill Tower.
High up in the sky, several figures walked through the air at a slow, steady pace.
They seemed to be strolling leisurely among the clouds, but in reality, each step they took crossed hundreds of meters.
Although they were still within the Pill Region, the distance to where the Pill Tower was located was still quite far.
They would first need to reach a city that possessed a spatial wormhole, and only by transferring through several of these wormholes would they finally be able to arrive.
Along the way, during casual conversation—
"Brother Yang, after advancing to the Tier 8 level, do you feel any difference compared to before?" Xian'er asked curiously.
"Difference?" Wei Yang was momentarily stunned, then shook his head with a slight smile. "Not really."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "If I had to say there's a change, it would be that my alchemy techniques and experience have improved a little compared to before."
"Other than that, there's not much difference."
"You advanced from Tier 7 to Tier 8, yet only your alchemy techniques and experience improved slightly?" Qing Lin asked, a little puzzled.
Hearing Wei Yang's explanation, she couldn't help but feel as though the difference between Tier 7 and Tier 8 wasn't as exaggerated as the rumors claimed.
Wasn't it said that the gap between the two was like a massive chasm?
Wei Yang glanced at Qing Lin strangely, raising his eyebrows as he said, "That so-called 'massive chasm' refers to the difference between Mortal Realm souls and Spirit Realm souls. What did you think it meant?"
"The power of the soul, in essence, doesn't actually have levels, but it does have realms."
"This distinction is something most experts on the continent never even come into contact with."
He explained further, "Because these soul realms are something even many Dou Zun cannot touch in their entire lives."
"The reason many alchemists remain stuck at the Tier 7 level for life is precisely because of this soul realm limitation."
"That's also why there are plenty of Tier 7 alchemists, yet Tier 8 alchemists are so incredibly rare. In fact, some Tier 7 alchemists don't even know there are such distinctions in soul realms."
The soul is the foundation of all living beings.
It contains one's consciousness, will, thoughts, memories, perception, and more.
Without a soul, there is nothing. As long as the soul remains intact, there is still a sliver of hope for survival. Just like Yao Lao, and even Ah Da.
Taking advantage of the journey, Wei Yang decided to give everyone a proper lesson, explaining some knowledge about the soul.
"The soul realms are divided into four stages: Mortal Realm, Spirit Realm, Heaven Realm, and Emperor Realm!"
"For the vast majority of Dou Zun and Tier 7 alchemists, their soul realms are still at the Mortal Realm. While the strength of their soul power may vary, in terms of realm, they are all the same — Mortal Realm."
"A Spirit Realm soul, upon reaching that stage, gains a unique ability — Spirit Infusion."
"Tier 8 pills possess extraordinary spirituality, and it is precisely because of this spirituality that they can reach the Tier 8 level."
"An alchemist with only a Mortal Realm soul, no matter how skilled they are, cannot refine a true Tier 8 pill if they are unable to imbue the pill with spirituality."
"Some Mortal Realm souls can be quite strong, sometimes even stronger than those of Spirit Realm souls."
"So, in a sense, a veteran Tier 7 peak alchemist's skills and soul power may not be much weaker than a Tier 8 alchemist's. The only thing they lack is the ability to imbue the pill with soul essence."
Everyone listened carefully, expressions dawning in realization.
It turned out that the ability to imbue pills with spirituality — Soul Imbuement — was the true, fundamental difference between Tier 7 and Tier 8 alchemists.
"And a Heaven Realm soul… that is the primary requirement for becoming a Tier 9 alchemist. Tier 9 pills already possess wisdom on par with ordinary humans."
Wei Yang continued, "A Tier 9 pill is essentially a form of creation. To refine a Tier 9 pill is equivalent to creating a living being."
"This being must not only be given spirituality but must also be infused with the power of heaven and earth. To achieve this, one's soul must reach the highest heavens — this is where the term Heaven Realm soul comes from."
"At this level, looking across the entire continent, such existences are truly one in a billion."
"Also, let me tell you a little secret, though I can't confirm if it's true or not. I came across it accidentally in an ancient text. It is said — and I repeat, it's just a rumor — that the ancestor who founded the Pill Tower… was actually a Tier 9 pill in their true form!" Wei Yang lowered his voice mysteriously.
"Ah?"
"What?!"
"The one who founded the Pill Tower… was actually a pill?!"
Hearing this, Xian'er and the others were completely dumbfounded, their jaws dropping in shock.
Even Ah Da's pupils contracted slightly as he muttered, "This rumor… I heard about it long ago. I didn't believe it at the time… but could it actually be true?"
"Shocking, isn't it?" Wei Yang chuckled, then said with a grin, "But even if it is true, it wouldn't be impossible. After all, Tier 9 pills already possess intelligence equal to humans. For one to take on human form and cultivate… that's completely normal, just like how magic beasts can transform."
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